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At the end of July, the Design that Matter’s team focused on the Otter summer design. They took all of the research and feedback they’d received through the previous weeks and turned their attention to prototype fabrication. The team moved into overdrive. They split their countless hours of prototyping between the DtM studio in Salem and the Autodesk BUILD Space in Boston.

The goal is still to focus on the development of an “alpha prototype” of the Otter newborn warmer, which is to say the first generation prototype that integrates both how the product works (warming elements) and how the product looks (user interface and overall aesthetics). A successful prototype will help the team test their most critical assumptions about product features, manufacturing methods and price point.

Though the team spent countless hours driving from Salem to Boston, they still maintain that fabrication is one of the most fun parts of the prototyping process, second only to field research in the hierarchy of excellent things about working in social impact design. Having the opportunity to escape their desks and trade the abstractions of post-it notes and design frameworks for the satisfaction of creating tangible, physical things, has no comparison.

Keep an eye out for more updates on the latest and greatest prototypes from the DtM team!